Hi all,I have made a number of posts on the prostate cancer forum but I now seem to have also qualified for this forum. The Prostate cancer forum has always been a source of inspiration as I am guessing is this one for many people.I am a 57 year old male who 2 and a half weeks ago had 2 heart attacks and a cardiac arrest. Fortunately the cardiac arrest occurred in the resuscitation room at my local hospital. I was flown by chopper to a larger regional hospital where I had over a period of 8 days 3 stents inserted. I have been home a week and slowly feeling better. After prostate cancer last year I feel a touch unlucky.To say I was shocked with the situation is an understatement. I am very fit, a non smoker, healthy diet and a social drinker. I was training for a mountain man race consisting of biking, running and kayaking. I live in a small country town in NSW, Australia.Are there in other members of the forum who have had a cardiac arrest?Hopefully I will get to chat to all here and become a regular member.Keep fighting the good fight!Ps I know I am going to have to update my signature.RegardsGregDOB 2/6/59 09/12 PSA 2.3, 11/13 PSA 3.7 free PSA 27.6. % 07/14 TRUSS biopsy 12 cores clear, 2/15 PSA 6.0, DRE clear, MRI clear03/15 DRE clear, perineal biopsy 3 of 20 cores positive, G6, G7, G804/15 Bone scan, CT scan clear05/11robotic surgeryWesley Hospital, Brisbane,Australia05/18 catheter out, Gleason 3+4, tertiary 5, margins clear, continent 2 hours ,6 week psa 0.011, 3 month <0.008

Hey Greg, greetings from a fellow member of the PC forum. This forum, as Turtle mentioned is not all that active. Frankly, i wish it was. I have never had a heart attack, but i was shocked to have needed 2 stents placed in my LAD and Distal Circumflex, just 6 months after RALP. This, after having no real health issues ever in my then 64 years (RALP was a year ago January).

I've changed my diet drastically, am on a low dose statin, and feel pretty good. My blood markers all seem better than ever. As far as diet, i have drastically reduced carbs, and have mosty eliminated all wheat grains, including bread, pasta, and rice.

I am on a website (that charges 8.99 a month usd) and forum, that preaches advanced lipid testing, low carb, etc, and also preaches (which i dont necessarily agree with) that the mainstream medical community is wrong about their theories, treatments, etc. But still i do get useful info from the other members. I dont think i should post it here, not sure if its allowed, but you can click the envelope under my name and email me if you want.

With that said, i hope you stick around here, we need a few good members, knowledgeable about heart disease, to attract more members, and if we can get them, one at a time, we will eventually attract more people, and this section can become as robust as the PC forum. Which i would really like.

Thanks Pratoman,I am waiting to see the cardiac rehab team and have an appointment on the 5th of October for assessment. I am hoping I will have an exercise and lifestyle plan made up from that.Funnily enough, I don't fit any of their predictors other than slightly high cholesterol. My diet, though not perfect, only needs small modifications to be totally heart smart. Exercise wise, I am the fittest I have been for 25 years. Play squash, touch football, and basketball, as well as train for a "mountain man" event consisting of mountain biking, running and kayaking. All this is now on hold. My fear is, that it will be on hold permanently. My wife and I were also booked on a trip to Croatia, Italy and Greece from the 3rd of October, which we have also had to cancel. I am struggling a little to accept all of this.Anyway, i am still here which is a bonus.Hope your health stays well.CheersGregDOB 2/6/59 09/12 PSA 2.3, 11/13 PSA 3.7 free PSA 27.6. % 07/14 TRUSS biopsy 12 cores clear, 2/15 PSA 6.0, DRE clear, MRI clear03/15 DRE clear, perineal biopsy 3 of 20 cores positive, G6, G7, G804/15 Bone scan, CT scan clear05/11robotic surgeryWesley Hospital, Brisbane,Australia05/18 catheter out, Gleason 3+4, tertiary 5, margins clear, continent 2 hours ,6 week psa 0.011, 3 month <0.008

I did Cardiac rehab for about 3 weeks (all my insurance would approve). I found that they kept me within, even below my limits, a bit too much for my taste. But it did give me back my confidence. I think you will be back to running and kayaking before you know it, Maybe even mountain biking. I think the recommendation is for you to be active, not sedentary. I can't run, due to bad knee, too much running in my younger days. But I walk 45 minutes a day on average.

It's tough after a cardiac event. (Heart attackk OR stents). I had a tough time mentally that lasted a year, but over the last few months, I found myself getting back to normal. Give yourself time.

As far as blood markers, from what I've been reading, there is a lot of controversy these days but I've learned that in a large percentage of cases, cholesterol is not the issue. Many people, me included, believe that blood sugar/insulin resistance, and inflammation are at least or more important a factor in heart disease. Triglycerides and HDL are the two most important traditional factors. I never had high cholesterol. There are other blood markers you can get if you want, like LDL-P, LDL particle size which is really important, lp(a) and others. Not all cardiologists order these tests, I had to see a second cardiologist who practices Integrative Medicine to get these tests.

I am so glad that you were able to tell your story to us. Sounds like you have been through a lot of things. I too have been through hard times like that; especially illnesses that almost killed me and I think that puts another perspective on life in itself. I have experienced some heart problems, but different than what you have had. The heart problem that I have had was a birth defect of a hole in my heart. I had to go to the doctor in order to get my heart checked frequently. I understand what all you have been through and my brother in law had his prostate cancer surgery on August 29th of this year and he found out that he still has cancer and will have to go through radiation. So, I totally understand what you are going through and I am so sorry that you have had a hard time. There are support groups that help with talking out your feelings about what you have been through and there are also pamphlets and books that you doctor can give you regarding information about how to cope with things. I hope all of this has helped you and I hope that you are feeling much better.

We found out this past June that my brother-in-law had prostate cancer and one of the tumors was aggressive. So, the doctors wanted to do surgery, but before they did any surgery or him, they had to do a bone scan in order to see if he had any spots in his bones and a test in order to see if he had any spots on his liver. Then, he had the surgery and they took out the tumors, plus lymph nodes, and the tissue surrounding the cancer areas. Now, he is doing much better. The only thing is that he still has one localized area that has cancer. So, the doctor will do another blood test in December/January time frame and perhaps he will have radiation therapy. He is doing a lot better. I knew someone who had cardiac arrest and the loved one called 911 for them. They made a full recovery. I believe the best thing to do is to talk about your options about the prostate cancer and also options for your heart. Keeping your heart healthy by eating the right foods and exercising is key to a healthy and happy life. I wish you the best and I hope that you feel better.

I am so sorry for all that you have been through. I hope that you are doing better. It sounds like you are doing better from your previous posts which is great. My brother in law told us on June 30th that he has prostate cancer and that he would have to have major surgery for it. I was very scared because he told me that one of the tumors is moving outside of the tissues and not localized. So, he went through everything and the update is that he still has cancer in one area, but at least that it is localized. So, he may have radiation or not. It depends on the blood test that they do. I also have heart disease in my family and I watch what I eat (or I try) and I am on cholesterol lowering drugs. I hope that you are doing well and please give us an update on how you are feeling.

My brother in law had prostate cancer last year and it was a very hard thing for all of us. It was a progressive tumor. He is cancer free thank goodness since we found out two weeks ago. I had a neighbor whose husband had cardiac arrest. The ambulance came and helped him. He lived through it and continued on his normal active life.

I am so glad that you are doing better. Prostate cancer is one of those cancers that is 100% curable if it is treated in time and if it is localized. My brother in law had cancer and one of his tumors was aggressively spreading, but when he received the surgery, the tumor was out and then he became cancer free. I am so thankful for your good news. We have to wait 6 months for another cancer check and I hope that he will still be cancer free.